The present invention relates to a method for measuring a damping force of a shock absorber provided in a suspension system for a motor vehicle and a measuring system thereof, and more particularly to a damping force measuring method and a measuring system for an individual shock absorber in an assembled state in the motor vehicle.
A shock absorber is provided in a suspension system of the motor vehicle corresponding to a spring attached to each of the wheels so as to regulate spring rebound and compression. Before mounting the shock absorber in a new motor vehicle, the shock absorber is previously and solely inspected, such as measuring of the damping force. When the measured damping force is within an allowable range, the shock absorber passes the inspection, so that it can be mounted in the motor vehicle. However, when the motor vehicle is used for a long time or had an accident, the damping force of the shock absorber may be out of the allowable range. Therefore, it is necessary to change the shock absorber when the shock absorber is defective. The shock absorber is inspected at a repair shop to decide if it should be changed or not.
Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open Nos. 50-160669, 57-111433, and 58-223035 disclose inspecting methods of shock absorbers which are inspected in assembled states in vehicle bodies.
However, in these methods, only damping quantity and damping rate are obtained as data of inspection of shock absorbers. The damping force is not measured with accuracy.